A new analysis challenges the conventional approach to affordability, warning that simply reducing prices won’t solve economic struggles for workers. Instead, it calls for stronger wage growth and expanded collective bargaining rights to ensure living standards keep pace with rising costs. The piece argues that without addressing income inequality and labor power, even lower prices may not translate into real financial security for households. Policymakers and advocates are urged to rethink strategies that prioritize worker earnings alongside price controls.
The article argues that a comprehensive affordability agenda must go beyond lowering prices to ensure workers earn enough to live through higher wages and collective bargaining power.
